In the 21st century, maintaining peace, seeking stability and
promoting development have become a shared aspiration of people of
all countries. In order to further strengthen the friendly
cooperation between China and Africa under the new circumstances,
to jointly meet the challenge of economic globalization and to
promote common development, and in light of suggestions of some
African countries, the Chinese Government made the proposal on the
convocation of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation---Ministerial
Conference Beijing 2000, which was positively responded to by the
vast number of African countries.?
(Xinhua News Agency October 2006)
